1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to power tools. In particular, the present invention is related to tools for scraping and stripping floor coverings, wall coverings, paint and other substances from various surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a well-established need for power driven scraper and stripper devices. For example, in the floor covering field, carpet and tile strippers have been developed which remove ceramic tile, glued-down carpet and carpet pads, and other substances on a floor surface in order to prepare the floor of the laying of a new carpet or other floor covering. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,733,637 by Becker and 4,009,980 by Alinder et al describe special purpose devices which have been used for scraping a floor to remove tile or carpet. These devices are rather large, expensive, and specialized. While they are useful for professional carpet and tile installers, they are of little use to the handyman due to their specialized nature, size and cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,088 by Thomas describes an electric floor scrubber and buffer which also has a scraper member which may be used to scrape up gum or other substances stuck to the floor surface. Once again, the specialized nature, size, and cost does not justify use as a handyman's tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,414 by Malin, 3,468,384 by Bodine, and 3,604,520 by Shatto, Jr. describe hand-held scraper devices. In the Malin patent, the scraper device is a special attachment to a portable electric drill. The scraper device converts the rotary drive of the electric drill to a reciprocating motion driving a scraper.
The Bodine and Shatto patents are both special purpose scraper devices. The cost of special purpose scraper devices such as shown in these patents is not always justified by the extent of use which is made by the average handyman in work around his home.
There is a continuing need for a scraper device which can be used both by the professional floor covering installer and also by the handyman. The device must be low cost, simple to use, and usable for removing floor coverings, scraping paint, and a wide variety of other scraping and stripping operation. The device must be hand-held in order to be usable on wall and ceiling surfaces as well as floor surfaces.